While over here in Malaysia we won’t be getting any of the new “i” models (i3 and i8), in celebration of the US arrival of the BMW i8, the world’s most innovative sports car, a one-of-a-kind 2014 BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will be auctioned during the weekend of the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, ahead of the official fall sale date. The i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will be distinguished by a unique paint scheme and interior treatment as well as other features that will make it unlike any other BMW i8 in the world. The BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will be sold by Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, during the annual Pebble Beach Auctions at Pebble Beach on Saturday, August 16. Proceeds of the sale will go to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The 2014 BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will feature BMW Individual Frozen Grey Metallic exterior paint. The unique interior will boast Dalbergia Brown leather upholstery, which is tanned using dye derived from plant extracts. The upholstery is accented with stitching in BMW i Blue. The Pure Impulse Tera World interior includes other trim accents in BMW i Blue, including the seat belts, as well as having “BMW i8” embossed into the front headrests. A number of US firsts will be included with this special edition including laser headlights, pending government approval, a BMW i8 Display key as well as the first BMW Charging Station, professional edition.
The words “Concours d’Elegance Edition” i8 will be laser etched in the interior, further marking this as truly one-of-a-kind. The car will be sold at the Pebble Beach Auctions presented by Gooding & Company on Saturday, August 16 at the Pebble Beach Special Events area. For information about bidding or to watch a live stream of the auction, please visit www.goodingco.com.
The BMW i8 is arguably the most innovative sports car on the road today. The plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain combines an electric motor to drive the front wheels and a powerful and efficient 1.5-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder gasoline engine driving the rear wheels. The BMW i8 is capable of driving on pure electric power at speeds up to 120 kmh for approximately 32 kilometres, producing zero tailpipe emissions. When the gasoline engine joins forces with the electric motor, together they are capacity of propelling the i8 for 0-100 kmh in 4.2 seconds and to a top speed of 250 kilometres per hour. Thanks in part to its passenger cell constructed out of lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic, The BMW i8 will deliver fuel efficiency normally associated with the stingiest subcompact. The lithium-ion battery pack that powers the electric motor can be charged from any 240-volt level 2 charging station as well as a conventional 110-volt outlet.
The BMW i8 is the world’s first series-produced vehicle to be made available with innovative laser headlights as an option. These generate a pure-white, extremely bright light that is pleasant to the eye by carefully converting the beams emitted by tiny laser diodes using a fluorescent phosphorous material inside the headlight. The laser diodes are ten times smaller than conventional light-emitting diodes, helping to save space in the headlight unit and also to reduce weight. The BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will be the first car in the US to have this technology, pending government approval. If necessary these headlights will be retrofit subsequent to delivery. It will also be the first BMW in the US to offer an innovative display key which features an integrated LCD touch screen.
The 2014 BMW i8 Concours d’Elegance Edition will not only offer the winning bidder the chance to own one of the first BMW i8s in the US, but also to own a truly one-of-a-kind example of the world’s most innovative sports car.
